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Two found dead at North Topsail

People walking on the beach were curious about the crime scene tape and blood stains on the sand in front of The Village of Stump Sound community at North Topsail Beach on Friday July 26, 2013. Photo by Don Bryan/The Daily News

By Katie HansenJacksonville Daily News

Published: Friday, July 26, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 26, 2013 at 9:48 a.m.

The identities of two men killed in North Topsail Beach Thursday night had not been released by officials a day after the two were found dead.

North Topsail Beach police responded to a call of a possible stabbing about 10:40 p.m. Thursday at Permuda Wynd Drive, town officials confirmed Friday morning. There, they found the two men dead in the sand.

Town Manager Stuart Turille said Friday afternoon that evidence indicates the incident stemmed from an altercation between the two, one that was limited to them. Officials said they were not actively searching for other suspects and that there was no threat to the community.

That includes the private Village of Stump Sound, where police went door-to-door Thursday, asking residents to stay inside while yards were searched.

One renter in the Village of Stump Sound, Lyman Woollens, 22, of Sanford, said his mother was leaving the house Thursday night, when a North Topsail Beach police officer asked her to go back inside and stay.

“We had a police officer come up and tell everybody get inside and lock all the doors,” Woollens said. “The officers came up on the porch, had flashlights, were doing their jobs.”

Woollens said several houses on the beach were on lock-down as the police searched the area.

“It was quite a tidy operation,” he said. He added that the department did not release details on the stabbings, but said, “they had a situation, where it would be safest for you all to remain indoors and stay off the beach.”

Another renter, Owen Astrachan of Chapel Hill, said he saw about 10 police cars Thursday night in the area; however, he said he did not get a knock on the door asking his family to stay inside.

He and his family have been vacationing at North Topsail Beach for five of the last 10 years, and he said the incident will not change his opinion of the beach.

He said the house next door did clear out Friday morning, but he was not sure whether it is because of the news.

“It was a full house yesterday, and it's empty today,” he said.

He said a police officer with a flashlight was standing in his neighbor's yard Thursday night for several hours.

Bloodied sand and strips of crime scene tape still were visible at the beach late morning Friday.

Claire Wilson and her daughter, Courtney Wilson, vacationing from Pittsboro, found crime scene tape blocking the walk down to the beach from their rental house on Friday morning. When they made it to the beach, the sand had been scraped, but they said they were shocked to still find two areas with blood-stained sand, including steps going down to the beach. They also found black gloves, she said.

Claire Wilson called the Town of North Topsail Beach and asked them to remove the stained sand. Shortly after 11 a.m., a NTB Public Works member came and turned the bloody sand and then buried it with other sand.

“He took a shovel, dug it out and covered it with more sand and then ended up chopping it and scraping it,” Courtney said.

They said they would not be going back down to the beach Friday.

“That's hazardous material,” Claire said.

Dan McClintock, a park attendant for the NTB beach access points was shocked by the deaths.

“Everyone comes out to the beach to have a good time, and that's sort of the last thing you could imagine happening here on the beach,” McClintock said.

He said he has never heard of anything of this nature happening at North Topsail Beach.

“If anything bad happens to anyone out here, it's due to riptides,” he said. “It's unbelievable.”

The Onslow County Sheriff's Office is assisting in the investigation and Surf City and Holly Ridge police departments responded to the call.

Officials ask that anyone with possible information contact North Topsail Beach Police Department at (910) 328-0042 or the Onslow County Sheriff's Office at (910) 455-3113.

<p>The identities of two men killed in North Topsail Beach Thursday night had not been released by officials a day after the two were found dead.</p><p>North Topsail Beach police responded to a call of a possible stabbing about 10:40 p.m. Thursday at Permuda Wynd Drive, town officials confirmed Friday morning. There, they found the two men dead in the sand.</p><p>Town Manager Stuart Turille said Friday afternoon that evidence indicates the incident stemmed from an altercation between the two, one that was limited to them. Officials said they were not actively searching for other suspects and that there was no threat to the community. </p><p>That includes the private Village of Stump Sound, where police went door-to-door Thursday, asking residents to stay inside while yards were searched.</p><p>One renter in the Village of Stump Sound, Lyman Woollens, 22, of Sanford, said his mother was leaving the house Thursday night, when a North Topsail Beach police officer asked her to go back inside and stay. </p><p>“We had a police officer come up and tell everybody get inside and lock all the doors,” Woollens said. “The officers came up on the porch, had flashlights, were doing their jobs.”</p><p>Woollens said several houses on the beach were on lock-down as the police searched the area. </p><p>“It was quite a tidy operation,” he said. He added that the department did not release details on the stabbings, but said, “they had a situation, where it would be safest for you all to remain indoors and stay off the beach.”</p><p>Another renter, Owen Astrachan of Chapel Hill, said he saw about 10 police cars Thursday night in the area; however, he said he did not get a knock on the door asking his family to stay inside. </p><p>He and his family have been vacationing at North Topsail Beach for five of the last 10 years, and he said the incident will not change his opinion of the beach. </p><p>He said the house next door did clear out Friday morning, but he was not sure whether it is because of the news.</p><p>“It was a full house yesterday, and it's empty today,” he said.</p><p>He said a police officer with a flashlight was standing in his neighbor's yard Thursday night for several hours. </p><p>Bloodied sand and strips of crime scene tape still were visible at the beach late morning Friday.</p><p>Claire Wilson and her daughter, Courtney Wilson, vacationing from Pittsboro, found crime scene tape blocking the walk down to the beach from their rental house on Friday morning. When they made it to the beach, the sand had been scraped, but they said they were shocked to still find two areas with blood-stained sand, including steps going down to the beach. They also found black gloves, she said.</p><p>Claire Wilson called the Town of North Topsail Beach and asked them to remove the stained sand. Shortly after 11 a.m., a NTB Public Works member came and turned the bloody sand and then buried it with other sand.</p><p>“He took a shovel, dug it out and covered it with more sand and then ended up chopping it and scraping it,” Courtney said.</p><p>They said they would not be going back down to the beach Friday. </p><p>“That's hazardous material,” Claire said. </p><p>Dan McClintock, a park attendant for the NTB beach access points was shocked by the deaths. </p><p>“Everyone comes out to the beach to have a good time, and that's sort of the last thing you could imagine happening here on the beach,” McClintock said. </p><p>He said he has never heard of anything of this nature happening at North Topsail Beach. </p><p>“If anything bad happens to anyone out here, it's due to riptides,” he said. “It's unbelievable.”</p><p>The Onslow County Sheriff's Office is assisting in the investigation and Surf City and Holly Ridge police departments responded to the call.</p><p>Officials ask that anyone with possible information contact North Topsail Beach Police Department at (910) 328-0042 or the Onslow County Sheriff's Office at (910) 455-3113.</p>